News

A FINE wine loving burglar from Cradley who was given a second chance by a judge is drowning his sorrows in jail after committing another burglary to pay off a court order.

Dwayne Blackstock was so wrapped up in making wine that he did not bother to find out he could have reduced his repayments.

Instead he "panicked" about the £150 a month compensation order and burgled a house only to be caught red-handed by passing cops.

Defending the 25-year-old at Wolverhampton Crown Court Miss Kate Thomas had worked with the Princes Trust to establish himself as a winemaker.

She said: "He was trying his hardest to sort things out and he committed this offence to fund the debt he had been given at the previous hearing."

She described Blackstock as a man with "a great deal of potential" and maintained he was determined to turn his wine-making

operation into a success.

Blackstock admitted burglary and also breaching the eight month jail term he had been given for an earlier similar offence that had been suspended for a year.

Recorder David Herbert jailed him for 10 months for the new offence and ruled he should have to serve a further 4 months for the

breach.

Mrs Sati Ruck prosecuting said Blackstock smashed a kitchen window to get into the property and after ransacking rooms he got away with costume jewellery worth only a few pounds.

But he was caught "red handed" having been spotted by a patrolling police cyclists and he was quickly found hiding in a shed in a

nearby street.

The Recorder told Blackstock whose partner is expecting a baby it was clear he wanted money and he had shown no consideration for the residents of the property who had been left scared it might happen again.